Pack-opening machine



Aug. 13, 1929.

PACK OPENING MACHINE Filed Jan- 15 1926 9 R o. .0 Y R ZZM M 2Sheets-Sheet l Invenhr: 62'0865 M Won 4,

Aug. 13, 1929. G. M. MOWL PACK OPENING MACHINE Fi e n- 15,1926 2Sheets-Sheet Inventor:

612-0355 M Non/4,

Patented Aug. 13, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE MI. MOWL, 0F MONESSEN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN SHEETAND TIN PLATE, COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OFNEW JERSEY.

PACK-OPEN IN G MACHINE.

Application filed .Tanuary 15, 1926. Serial No. 81,463.

This invention relates tomachines for opening packs of sheets or plates,and has for its object the provision of an improved machine of thisclass which will quickly open or separate packs of sheets or plateswhich have become stuck together in the rolling operation.

Another object is to provide a machine of this class in which allthe'rolls engaging the sheets or plates will have the same surface speedand, therefore, slippage of the rolls on the plates is entirelyeliminated.

A further object is to provide a novel form of drive mechanism for theseparating rolls whereby said rolls may be operated in either forward orreverse directions without changing the direction of rotation of themotor.

The machine of this invention is primarily adapted for opening packs ofstickers in making sheet and tin plates. In rolling tin bar into tinplates two short pieces of tin bar are placed one on top of the otherand are rolled to a predetermined width, length and gage. The resultantproduct from the above operation is known as a pair and is next doubledupon itself so as to have four thicknesses of metal and is again rolled,the resultant product being known as a pack.

The so formed pack is then sheared along its edges to make four shearedsheets, and the pack is then separated into individual sheets.

Frequently the sheets stick together. In such case a workman willseparate the one corner and by placing his foot on some of the platesand pulling on the upper one with a pair of tongs will separate the topsheet from the balance. Sometimes, however, the plates stick so tightlytogether that the workman can not pull them apart and it has been thepractice heretofore to lay such packs, known as stickers, aside so as tonot interrupt the usual operation of the mill, and such stickers werethen separated by other workmen with special tools. The separation ofstickers required considerable labor and expense and often resulted inthe spoiling of numerous sheets.

The present machine provides means for readily separating stickers witha minimum of labor and at such small expense that the cost of themachine is saved in about one months time.

bed plate of the machine which may be pernianently mounted on a suitablefoundation or, if desired, may be mounted on a truck so that the machinemay be moved from place to place in the mill.

A pair of housing stands 3 and 4.- having windows 5 are secured to thebed plate 2. Roll bearing blocks 7 are slidably mounted in the windows 5of the stands 3 and 4 and have two pairs of rolls 8 and 9, and 10 and 11journaled' therein. The rolls 8, 9, 10 and 11 are all of the samediameter and are arranged in vertical alinement.

The stands 3 and 4 are connected together at their upper ends by aseparator 12 which serves to form a rigid structure.

The top bearing blocks 7 in which the uppermost roll 8 is journaled areprovided with an aperture 13 to receive the reduced lower end 13 of anadjusting screw 13. The adjusting screws 13 extend freely throughsuitable apertures in the separator 12 and have a threaded portion ofshank 14 on which is mounted a nut 15. The nuts 15 fit snugly in and areheld against rotation by the windows 5. A coil spring 16 is mounted onthe shank of each of the screws 13 between the nuts 15 and the separator12 which closes the top of the windows 5. A hand-wheel 17 is mounted onthe upper end of the screws 13. By turning the hand-wheels 17 the screws13 are rotated to move the nut along the threaded portion 14 of theshank, thereby increasing or decreasing the tension of the springs 16which tension will force the screws against the uppermost bearing block7 and thereby change the pressure of the rolls 8, 9, 10 and 11.

The rolls 8, 9, 10 and 11 all have their reduced bearing portions ornecks extended at one end so as to project outwardly beyond the stand 4and provide stub portions 19, 20, 21 and 22 to receive the pinion gears23, 24,

25 and 26, all of which are of the same size and are meshed so as topositively drive all of the rolls at the same speed.

The lowermost roll 11 has its neck at the end opposite the extension 22extended to form a stub portion 27 to receive a power pinion 28.

The power for operating the machine 1s furnished by a motor 29 mountedon the base or bed plate 2 and having its armature shaft coupled to apower shaft 30 journaled in bearings 31. The shaft 30 has a sprocket 32fixedly mounted thereon which is connected by a chain 33 to a sprocket34 loosely mounted for free rotation on a drive shaft 35.

The shaft 35 is journaled in bearings 36 and is coupled at 37 to astandard speed reducing gearing element 38 (not'shown in detail) whichhas a pinion 39 in mesh with the drive or power pinion 28 on the roll11.

The shaft 30 also has a pinion 40 fixedly mounted thereon which is inmesh with a gear 41 loosely mounted for free rotation on the shaft 35.

The sprocket 34 and gear 41 are provided with clutch rims 42 and 43,respectively, adapted to receive and be engaged by a double-faced clutchmember 44 slidably mounted on the shaft 35 so as to be moved intoengagement with either of the clutch rims 42 or 43, and held againstrotation on the shaft by a suitable key 45. u v

The sprockets 32 and 34 being connected directly by the chain 33 willrotate in the same direction as the shaft 30, while the gears 40 and 41being meshed will cause the gear 41 to rotate in the opposite directlonto the shaft 30 and pinion gear 40. Therefore, when the clutch member 44is in engagement with the clutch rim 43 on the gear 41 the rolls will beoperated in the opposite direction than when the clutch is engaged withthe rim 42 on the sprocket 34.

A suitable clutch operating lever 46 is provided for manuallycontrolling the position of the clutch member 44.

An inclined entrance guide plate 47 is mounted between the stands 3 and4 on the entrance side of the machine and is supported on an angle'bar48. The lower or forward end of the plate 47 is slightly short of thebite of the lower pair of rolls 10 and 11 so as to guide the sheetstherebetween.

A combined guard and separator plate 49 bent in a curved substantiallysemi-circular shape is mounted between the stands 3 and 4 in front .ofthe upper roll 10 of the lower pair of rolls and thelower roll 9 of theupper pair of rolls and serves to separate or divide the plate beingseparatedfromthe pack and also to prevent the operator accidentlygetting his hand caught between the rolls 9 and 10.

A second guard late 50 is welded or otherwise secured to t e bar or rod51 secured between the stands 3 and 4 on the entrance side of themachine in front of the top roll 8 and prevents the operator fromgetting his hand caught between the rolls 8 and 9.

A pair of guide plates 52 and 53 are se cured between the stands 3 and 4on the exit side of the machine and are arranged to receive the sheetseparated from the pack as the sheet passes from the bite of the rolls 8and 9.

A receiving plate or platform 54 is mounted between the stands 3 and 4on the exit side of the machine below the bite of the rolls 10 and 11 toreceive the pack of sheets as they pass from between said rolls.

In operation the operator takes a pack of stuck sheets, known as asticker, and opens one corner by pulling on the top sheet with apair oftongs, after the corner of the top sheet is separated for a shortdistance, the pack is fed along the entrance guide plate 47 and thecorner of the top sheet entered into the bite of the top pair of rolls 8and 9, while the remainder of the pack enters the bite of the lower pairof rolls 10 and 11. The rolls then pull the sheet and pack through themachine, tearing the top sheet loose. The pack may be re-entered as manytimes as necessary to separate all the sheets.

By providing separating rolls all of the same diameter and driven at thesame speed, the surface s eed of all the rolls is the same.

Therefore, t ere is no slippage of any of the rolls on the sheets andconsequently the sheets are not scratched or scored as would be the casewere the rolls of different diameter or operated at different speeds.

The novel drive arrangement of this machine, whereby the direction ofrotation of the rolls may be immediately reversed by s mply throwing theclutch lever 46, is part cularly valuable in a machine of this class,since if a cobble should be made the sheets may be ruined or the machinebroken unless the machine is immediately reversed.-

While I have shown and described one specific embodiment of my inventionit will be understood that I do not wish to be lim lted thereto sincevarious modifications may be made without departing from the scope of myinvention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: 1

1. In a machine for opening sheets, the combination of a pair of rollstands, two pairs of rolls journaled on said stands, all of said rollsbeing of the same diameter and arranged in vertical alinement, acombined guard and separator plate curved to a sub stantiallysemi-circular shape mounted between and supported on said stands, said 3per one of the lower pair of rolls, and means for positively driving allof said rolls in either direction at the same surface speed, said meansincluding gearing connecting all of said rolls together, a-source ofpower, a. power shaft connected to said source of power, a drive shaftgeared to one of said rolls, forward and reverse drive connectionsbetween said powershaft and said drive shaft, and a clutch'member onsaid drive shaft adapted to connect either said forward or reverse driveconnections with said drive shaft to cause the rotation of said shaftand rolls in a forward or reverse direction.

2. In a machine for opening sheets, the combination of a pair of rollstands, two pairs of rolls j'ournaled in said stands, all of said rollsbeing of the same diameter and arranged in vertical alinement, acombined guard and separator plate curved to a substantiallysemi-circular shape mounted between and supported on said stands, saidplate extending infront of said rolls from a point above thelongitudinal axis of the lower one of the upper pair of rolls and to a'point below the longitudinal axis of the upper one of the lower pair ofrolls, and means for positively driving all of said rolls in eitherdirection at the same surface speed, said means including a source ofpower, gearing connecting all of said rolls together, and meansconnecting said source of power to said gearing, said last named meansincluding a double acting clutch mechanism adapted to be engaged toselected elements rotating in opposite directions to thereby cause therotation of said rolls in a forward and reverse direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

GEORGE M. MOWL.

